


Must Love Dogs

by KaylaRey6



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Ben's a good cook, Cooking, Dominant Ben Solo, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Wolf!Ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:46:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24988519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaylaRey6/pseuds/KaylaRey6
Summary: “MUST LOVE DOGS”That’s what the ad on Craigslist said. It’s a great apartment and Rey has always liked pups, so she arranges a viewing with the owner (and possible future roomie).Turns out he’s the dog (wolf?). Not always, just when he’s really tired or angry or happy.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 22
Kudos: 125





	Must Love Dogs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SavingWhatILove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavingWhatILove/gifts), [PearlsValeMel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearlsValeMel/gifts).



> A [prompt](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots/status/1272551611357937665) from [galacticidiots](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots). Also for [this](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagagada/pseuds/Dagagada) lovely person who dared me and [this](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearlsValeMel/pseuds/PearlsValeMel) person who also wanted to be tagged :). I have 10K other things to write + work so idk when this will update

Rey glanced upward at the face of the stone brick apartment building. According to the ad, the apartment was on the 1st floor, 2nd door on the right from the elevator.

She walked in, past the mailboxes, to the assortment of doorbells. Scanning the first line, she found the apartment number of her potential future home, 1D. Every sequence stopped with the letter D. Four apartments on every floor, but the structure was rather large, giving each unit a fair amount of room – more than fair for 2 bedrooms.

She only had to wait a couple seconds after ringing before a low voice drifted through the speaker. “Solo residence.”

Good thing they didn’t chat over the phone. She would’ve been speechless. _Can’t discuss future shared occupancy without speaking_. “Hi. Is this Supreme Leader?” She hoped she didn’t sound too breathless.

She could’ve sworn she heard a sharp intake of breath. “Scavenger, I assume?

“That’d be me.”

An unlatching sound preceded the buzz inviting her in. Pushing the door open, she wandered down the carpeted hallway towards the far end. As she eyed the door on the right, it opened, revealing a head full of dark locks.

Rey slowed her approach as a large – _very_ large – hand pushed a curtain of the fine strands back, behind which a pair of dark eyes rested. Her eyes dropped to luscious lips that were parted slightly. They darted back up to his as the pupils widened and looked her over. They moved from her face, where they seemed to take in every feature, from her own hazel irises and full lips, down over the rest of her body in a quick glance before returning his eyes to her own.

When he didn’t seem inclined to speak, she broke the silence. “Solo, is it?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes. Ben.”

“Ben,” she echoed back, testing the name. A corner of his mouth lifted, as if he liked how it sounded falling from her lips. “I’m Rey. Niima.”

“Rey,” he said, nearly whispered. After a beat of silence, he drew back into the apartment, sweeping an arm inside to invite her in. His eyes didn’t leave her as she stepped into his home.

The kitchen was directly to her left when she walked in. As she stepped beyond the fridge on the corner, she saw the sink next to it and wide counter with cabinets hanging overhead. Just beyond, was the living room, where there was a couch, a few chairs and a good view of the kitchen which was cut off by an inlet from the hallway to the left. Said inlet had a sizable island, with two chairs sitting under an overhang. She suspected a matching set on the other side. There was a door leading a patio, where there sat a small table with two more chairs.

“Entertain often?”

“Not really,” he said, shrugging. “They came with the place. Last residents were a pair of college kids at Chandrila U. The only one who really comes around is Poe.”

She nodded, moving beyond the island to view the two hallways on her left and right. The one to her right had a set of wooden slat doors on one side and a door on the other. To her left, two more doors. One was slightly open and through it she could see a porcelain sink.

“Which one’s mine?” she asked, turning back around to face him.

He gestured to the left. “Sorry about the opposing bathroom. Poe used to live here, but he had to move for work.”

“Only bathroom?” She could probably fit her supplies in a caddy but there may not be enough room in whatever storage there was inside the bathroom if his things were also in there.

“No. Mine has a private one,” he said. “Although, if you’d be more comfortable you can take mine,” he added quickly.

Rey shook her head. “No, no! I just didn’t think you’d want to see my Hibiscus shampoo in the shower all the time,” she laughed. He chuckled, his mouth turning up at the corner in a lop-sided grin that she found endearing.

“No, that one’s all yours. Your Hibiscus can be anywhere you want it to be.”

She smiled widely in his direction, then inclined her head towards her prospective room. “May I?”

He nodded. “Go ahead.”

She walked over, turned the knob and opened onto a room almost as big as her current apartment. The bed looked to be a Queen-size, with a walk-in closet just to the left of the entrance. On the opposite wall was a large window, looking out to the forest preserve behind the complex.

She crossed the room, trailing her fingers along the soft threads of the white sheets. Rey could see herself living here, curling up under blankets, leaving the window cracked to fall asleep to the sounds of the forest that lay just beyond. She perched her arms on the edge of the windowsill, looking out to the setting sun and the gentle shades of orange it cast on the grass.

“I’ve never been one for making small talk with neighbors in the hallway,” said Ben, coming up on her right, “but I had to get a view of the woods,” as his right arm came to rest on the sill.

“You’ve got a great one, I’ll admit.” She saw him smile out of the corner of her eye.

“Big room, my own closet _and_ bathroom?” she said in delight, turning to him.

“Don’t forget the washer and dryer,” he reminded her.

“Of _course_. God forbid you make small talk with the neighbors,” she said sarcastically, giving a little shiver.

“ _Anything_ to avoid them,” he agreed in a similarly exaggerated tone.

“Still haven’t seen the dog yet.”

He froze and she could just see the tips of his ears turning pink where they poked out from beneath his hair. “It’s Poe’s. He, ah, lets me dog-sit.” Rey thought he sounded a bit unsure and her eyebrows furrowed at his explanation. When he noticed, he added, “Sometimes I miss him.”

Rey nodded in understanding. “I get that. One of my foster parents had a couple dogs. When I moved, I thought about them all the time.”

He perked up at the mention of her past but didn’t press her for details. “He’s dropped off randomly, so I don’t know an exact schedule of when he’ll be here. Kylo’s a bit moody, but he’s not dangerous.” Ben shrugged. “Just needs a gentle touch sometimes.” The blush extended to his cheeks slightly. “So, what do you think?”

“I think… you’ve got yourself a roomie, Ben Solo.”

***

Rey moved in a week later, with her friends Finn and Rose offering to bring her belongings to the new apartment. Ben had offered to help her move in as well, so she called when they pulled up outside.

“Hey,” he said, standing in the doorway.

“Hey,” Rey responded, Finn and Rose repeating the greeting. Rey and Rose had their arms stacked high, with Finn unloading things from his car. They filed past him as he held the door open.

“Let me grab some. I don’t want to just be the door guy,” he joked.

“Sure,” Rey said, setting her things down by the threshold to hold the door open. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” As he stepped away, Rose sidled up next to her. “Nice to have an extra pair of strong arms,” she whispered with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

“Rose!” Rey admonished playfully. “That is my housemate!”

“ _Hot_ housemate,” she corrected, moving further inside as Ben came back.

His arms were holding an even bigger stack than she and Rose had taken. The muscles on his arms were pulled taut with the effort of holding them and Rey eyed the vein that popped out along his left arm in a way she hoped was discreet. He peeked his head out from the side of the boxes he was holding.

“Thanks,” he said as she moved inside to let him through.

“We accept payment in food and alcohol,” Rose joked as they all walked down the hallway.

“I was planning on making dinner for all of us. Sort of an, uh, introduction,” Ben said from Rey’s right side.

Rose hummed in approval. “I vote we move movie night to your apartment indefinitely effective immediately.”

When everything had been moved into Rey’s room, Rose and Finn helped her unpack. Ben had left them to it but they could hear the clattering of pots and pans in the kitchen. Before long, fragrant aromas had drafted in under the door, drawing the trio into the living room.

“Did I miss your Top Chef trophy somewhere?” Rey asked.

She caught a ghost of a smile as he turned back towards them, carrying a skillet over to the plates he had set up for everyone. “My mother made sure I knew how to cook.” He proceeded to plate fish and asparagus before smothering them in a light, creamy sauce.

“What dish will be judging tonight, Mr. Solo?” Finn asked playfully.

“Baked salmon and asparagus with a garlic butter sauce. I asked Rey about your food preferences just in case.”

“Is this going to be a routine?” Rey asked, picking up her fork, wondering where to start.

As he laughed, she looked up just in time to see a blush color his cheeks. “Probably twice a week. Gotta keep those skills fresh.”

“Can you teach Rey? She could burn water and don’t get me started on ACTUAL food,” Rose said as Rey shoved her shoulder in retaliation. Rose stuffed a forkful of salmon into her mouth and groaned at the taste. “This is so good.”

Ben’s blush deepened, spreading down his neck. “Everyone needs a teacher.”

Rey felt a small smile grace her lips as her fork dug into the tender fish. When her lips closed around the salmon, the taste of lemon and butter with a hint of garlic exploded in her mouth. A low groan escaped her throat as her eyes closed. As she opened them, Ben was staring at her, lips parted. Embarrassed, Rey ducked her head down.

“It’s really good,” she mumbled around her food. Ben smiled a bit as he nodded, satisfied with his work.

“Really good?” The garbled voice came from Finn. ”You could open a restaurant and have people killing for reservations – me included.”

“I think I’ll stick to my current position of park ranger,” Ben said as he picked up his own fork.

***

“If I found a man who could cook like _that_ , I’d be on it quick.”

Rey rolled her eyes as she escorted her friends to the front door. “I’m fairly sure someone else has had that exact same thought.”

“Well, did you ask?” Rose said from her other side.

“No! I just moved in – I think I should at least get to know him before I start inquiring about his love life.”

Finn paused at the inner door. “Didn’t you ask all the basic get-to-know-you stuff when you were discussing moving in?”

Rey shrugged. “It was basic cohabitation stuff – ‘what time do you wake up’, ‘what’s your noise level tolerance’, ‘no I’m not a serial killer’.”

“So you didn’t get to the question about “house guests”?” Finn asked, making quotation marks in the air.

“We agreed on letting the other know before we bring over “guests”,” Rey replied with the same gesture.

“You could limit house guests to us and his friends – unless you two decide to spice things up,” Rose said with a cheeky grin. Rey glared as she opened the door into the outer hallway.

“I think that rudely large man is more than enough for Rey,” Finn remarked as he followed Rose in. “See you later.” He winked as the door closed while Rose gave a little wave through the glass.

When Rey walked back into the apartment, Ben was washing the dishes. “Thank you,” she said as she walked over to where he was standing at the sink. “It was delicious.”

“You’re welcome. I think even the neighbors know how much you enjoy my cooking,” he remarked with a smirk curving his lips.

“Ugh,” she groaned in embarrassment. “I wasn’t _that_ loud.”

“Hope Ms. Gilman next door didn’t think so,” and at that they both laughed.

“No gloves?” She noticed his hands were slightly red in the sink, where she could see steam rising.

“Too big,” he said as he held them up, some soap clinging to his skin.

Rey walked over to the dish rack, reaching for the cleaning towel Ben had installed a hook for. As she started to dry the silverware, her eyes drifted to his hand working the sponge over their plates. She could barely see any of it, only the edge of purple riddled with holes and the motion he made with it. The other almost completely spanned the back of each plate he held. He scrubbed the plates in a circular motion, washing off various bits of green and splotches of sauce.

They spent the next 10 minutes in a quiet routine, the only sound the water running into the drain and the quiet squelch of the sudsy sponge as he scrubbed. Rey dried the last, with Ben next to her trying to fit those hands of his into a towel to dry them.

“When’s my first lesson?”

He seemed to take a moment to consider. “Well, maybe we should have a lesson 0 about not burning water. Maybe a mini-series of training lessons.”

“Ha, ha.” As she rehung the towel, Rey couldn’t stop the little smile that she gave.

“If you’re not opposed to steak, I was going to pick some up on Saturday.”

She could already feel her mouth watering. “Sign me up.”

“Sure you don’t want to have some pre-training? I don’t know if the insurance covers water-burning-related incidents.”

“I think I’ll be fine under expert supervision.” She stepped past him, sticking her tongue out for good measure, to which he narrowed his eyes playfully.

“And thanks for helping me move my stuff,” she remembered once she had made her way onto the other side of the island. She leaned against the countertop, resting her elbows on its surface. “You didn’t have to.”

“It’s fine. It was nice getting to know Rose and Finn.” As he hung up his own towel, he came over to lean on the opposite side. “I think my cooking helped with their impression of me, too.”

Rey nodded. “Pretty sure they’re still swooning and will be for a while to come.” His eyes crinkled a little at the edge as he gave her a bashful smile.

“Anything else for Saturday? I have several specialties.”

“I’m not picky.”

“You will be when once you try my steak.”

“Looking forward to it. Goodnight, Ben,” she said with a little wave.

“Goodnight, Rey.”

After she had put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, she cracked her window open to let in the soft cacophony of the forest. She climbed into her new bed, settling in to listen to its quiet melody.

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t know how I got this many words, also kinda wish there were more. Guess that’s how it goes. These chapter word counts might wind up really unbalanced and inconsistent. Be prepared 😊.  
> Was debating vaderfanboy as his screen name. Literally said to myself ‘if I see one more damn blush’.  
> Also I have no idea where this is going so pls give me ideas. Lmk if I missed any tags.  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/KaylaRey6)


End file.
